Pages

Search This Blog

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Welcome! I've returned now that Summer Vacation has begun and I've got a wonderful little gift for all of our loyal guests at "Hotel de Musings". Today we've got Jelsa, a warmly-welcomed friend, to be our guest reviewer for Afflicted, the sequel to Battle Scars by Sophie Monroe.

1/5 stars

Every pet peeve that I have, I found in this novel. To prove I’m not crazy, I have marked some quotes from the book to back up my points. Here goes:

Repetition of words:

The word “fuck” appears 146 times in the novel. Not only that, the novel is only 197 pages. A few pages had this word on it three or four times. Yes, people curse. But when characters are resorting to only using curse words instead of word choice with more substance, it becomes annoying instead of an asset.

“Another part of my anatomy” (page 6) /“Certain part of my anatomy” (page 25) --> This is Blake referencing his, for lack of a better word, genitals. Not only is that phrase repeated, but it is also not what a teenage male would actually think. To add to the inconsistency, partway through Blake starts referencing this part of his anatomy as “bam-bam,” which is apparently what he has named it. There are so many things wrong with that name that I don’t even want to unpack them. Piper also somehow knows its name. However Blake never mentions it to her, which means Piper must’ve read Blake’s mind or something.

The phrase “claimed my mouth” is often associated with kissing in this novel. Not only is this an awkward phrase, it also doesn’t show what is actually happening. There’s different types of kisses and different lengths of kisses. None of this information is shown when this phrase is constantly used over and over again. The phrase “kissed me passionately” is used over and over again as well. (I also noticed this in Carrier of the Mark.) That phrase also does not give readers real information about anything that is actually happening.

Description of Characters:

Character descriptions are there for a reason. One of my pet peeves is when character descriptions are blocked together, they’re all formatted the same way, and they’re very stereotypical. This book’s character descriptions fell under all three categories.

For example, on page 20 Blake meets a girl named Hayley after a set.

She was a petite brunette with the body of a swimsuit model.

Descriptions like these can be weaved in much more subtly. Describing a girl by her body more instead of her face also doesn’t really make sense because most people look at faces first when they meet people.

On page 35, Piper describes her boyfriend, Cole.

“He was handsome in an all-American boy way with his military haircut and freshly shaved face. He had dark brown hair, big brown eyes and a perfect smile.”

My critique of this sentence would be the following:

-What is the “all-American boy way”?

-Hair and eyes description is at the same time. Usually this should be spread out. Putting them together is very stereotypical.

-What is her definition of a “perfect smile”? Some people like dimples. Some don’t. Letting readers know this information makes the characters more realistic.

Unlikable Characters

There was not a single likable character in this entire novel. Blake is a sex-obsessed boy who spends almost the entire book sleeping with different girls. While relationship abuse is a very serious matter, the relationship abuse in this novel was strung along and repeated over and over just so the book would have some sort of plot. (Although not a very interesting one.) Readers have no reason to want Piper and Cole to remain together. Of course, Piper does end up with Blake, but if Cole is going to be in the novel, readers need to understand him. No character is 100% “good” or 100% “bad.”

A successful story is able to reveal a characters’ strengths and weaknesses, no matter if they’re protagonists or antagonists. In this novel Cole was 150% antagonistic and, while I also really hated Blake throughout the novel, at least Blake wasn’t abusive.

Also, Blake is definitely a Gary-sue. Every girl he runs into wants to get into his pants, simply because he’s “attractive.” While physical appearance is what most people first notice about other people, a relationship based solely on physical and sexual attraction doesn’t last long in the real world. In the real world people have emotions. Many emotional things and emotional moments happened in this novel, but the emotions were skimmed over and usually sex resulted. As a reader this was very frustrating. While I know that sex before marriage is common in today’s society, reading six sex scenes about fifty pages into a novel is definitely a plot issue. This was a sign of an entire novel of relying on sex for intimacy instead of compassion, emotional intimacy, and friendship.

Besides seeing each other as sex partners, I see no reason for Blake and Piper to be attracted to each other. I was holding out for a well-written emotional scene to redeem this novel, but I was sorely disappointed.

Grammatical mistakes:

My biggest grammatical pet peeve is when people do not punctuate dialogue correctly. Throughout the entire novel, the dialogue grammar was punctuated incorrectly, and it was very difficult to force myself to keep reading on because there is a legitimate way to properly format dialogue, believe it or not.

For example:

Page 8: “Every thing’s going to be fine. Stop worrying.” She teased, placing her hand to the side of my face in an effort to comfort me.

I see more than one problem with those sentences, but I’ll stick to my point for now.

“Teased” is synonymous to “said.” Therefore the punctuation should be:

“Stop worrying,” she teased, placing…

Another option would be to format it with the verb beginning its own sentence, which would look like:

“Stop worrying.” She placed her hand to the side of my face.

When a whole novel has that error throughout it and this author has already published a few novels, this is absolutely unacceptable. If this error happened once or twice, that’s forgivable. But when a whole novel is written that way, that is a huge problem.

(By the way, notice how “every thing” is separated when it should be joined. That’s one of many mistakes in this novel.)

Throughout the novel, there were also instances where the narration would switch from past to present tense and then back to past tense. After a certain point I got tired of recording examples, but here is one from page 16.

I tried calling Rowan again and got her voicemail. We’ve been playing phone tag all week, but in three days we would be in Arizona and I planned on surprising her.

Somehow the author managed to use past, present, and future tense in one sentence. This was, however, done incorrectly. In the second sentence “we’ve” should be “we’d.”

Not only is changing tense incorrect, but it’s also confusing. If a reader begins reading in past tense, they expect the story to stay in past tense. If it switches to present it implies that there’s been a shift in time when there hasn’t been. (I’ll admit this excerpt is not the best example, but at least it gets the point across.)

My favorite mistake was by far the following sentence from page 126.

She walked over to the China cabinet.

China is the country, not a type of silverware.

Okay, I take back what I said. This is my favorite mistake, from page 92.

“I really like her mom and I’m looking forward to bringing her home to visit with me so you can meet her.”

Blake was referring to Piper, not her mom, while talking to his own mother. The lack of commas and punctuation in proper places was a nice recipe for giving this reader a good laugh after reading this sentence.

I could go on about a character “balling” their eyes out on page 158 and find other examples, but that probably covers the grammar inaccuracies enough.

Could’ve Been Written Better:

There were several info-dumps in the novel (the prologue, page 16, page 32 for an info-dump on Piper, and yet another info-dump on page 34. If I’m talking about myself and I say I have black hair and brown eyes and a dog named Waffles that likes to take walks and I like to read and write young adult novels and I’m in a relationship for the first time in my life going on nine months almost and I have two younger brothers who like to play basketball and I’m in college studying to be a psychology and child development major with a minor in music (if you read all that I apologize, it was to make a point) and I just talk about superficial things that could be shown in a novel all in one place, readers get bored and glaze over it. Readers have no reason to care about all that information. Instead if an author wants to reveal information about a character, it can be weaved in subtly.

A character’s brothers and dog can wait to show up somewhere else in the novel. The major and minor in college information can be shown through a character having a violin recital, or reading a psychology textbook or talking about a psychology experiment such as the slippery slope or Milgram’s experiment (it was quite shocking, I suggest you check it out. Sorry for my awful pun). Then the information adds to the story instead of wasting space.

I don’t even remember what I read about Blake and Piper because honestly, 1) I didn’t care and 2) all the information was in one place, and it was ridiculously long. Through editing and better writing all this information could’ve been shown instead of told, as well as have enriched the story greatly instead of boring readers.

This might just be my personal opinion, but it would be nice to know a main character’s name somewhat soon after that character’s introduction. In this novel Piper’s last name isn’t revealed until page 191, less than 10 pages from the ending. As a reader I might not have liked Piper a whole lot, but less than 10 pages from the ending is not the place to reveal a main character’s last name.

Inaccuracies

A birthing scene does not take half an hour. However the birthing scene on page 196 spans merely a few paragraphs and takes half an hour. No mention of the pain involved and fatigue. The author clearly did not research birthing, which usually takes around 10-12 hours just to finish the first of three parts. About half an hour to an hour is usually involved in the actual birthing process, followed by the after birth. In the book it’s very casually mentioned that the entire process takes half an hour, which is very inaccurate.

Even if Piper was far enough along that the second part was already beginning, she would’ve been in pain much sooner than described in the novel. Considering a good part of the novel hinges on the fact that Piper got pregnant, this scene should be much more important, lengthier, and more accurate.

Telling, not Showing

There were many examples of this, but let me just name a few:

Page 33: His expression menacing…

Page 34: He truly did look sorry…

Page 37: He looked torn…

Page 38: Clearly torn up about the whole conversation…

Page 157: I said firmly, getting angry with her…

70% of communication is body language. 20% is tone, and 10% is the actual words communicated. What does it mean to have a menacing expression, look truly sorry, or torn? It varies based on character. Some characters are more physically expressive while some turn away when upset. People also express their anger differently. The author missed many opportunities to show how the characters are different because of simply telling emotions instead of showing them. Yes, emotions were (and should) be present due to the subject matter in this novel. They just weren’t presented in a way that a reader can actually connect to.

SEX DOES NOT EQUAL ROMANCE

This topic was basically covered throughout the other sections, so I’ll let this be and recommend no one read this novel. (If I rate a book 1 out of 5 stars, then it’s synonymous to “I don’t recommend it for anyone.”) If what you’re looking for is a novel driven by sex and the same plot points bouncing back and forth, go ahead. But if you’re looking for a book that shows characters struggling through real issues aided by each other emotionally with a real plot line, this is not your book.

If you read this far, thank you for your time, and happy reading.

---

Come again! I hope you heed Jelsa's advice, I mean. I took a gander at the book myself and let me just say that I completely agree with everything she's said!

Beware this book, beware!

Sorry Madame Monroe, but we'll be looking for a better turnout from you soon, eh?

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Jenny Wales is a local television star who has everything she needs: good friends, a great career, and a gorgeous apartment with an outstanding shower. The only thing missing in her life is love, something that she hasn’t made time for in her quest to be the best reporter in town.

An international soccer star, Paolo Gutierrez is a reluctant celebrity looking for a quieter life away from the glitz and glamour of Europe. He longs for chance to remember the game he loves and build a life for himself far from the paparazzi’s lens.

When Jenny and Paolo meet, it’s love at first sight. It should be a simple story of boy meets girl, but the team, the town, and the entire world seem to have an opinion on their love affair. Up against a losing streak, Victoria Beckham wannabes, and the risk of losing their careers, Jenny and Paolo will have to fight to win this game of love.

Excerpt

Jenny’s lips fall open as she stares at the man formerly known as Paolo. “I,” she says with some disgust, “am the worst reporter ever.”

Paolo reaches out, places a gentle finger under her chin, and shuts her mouth. “You are not the worst reporter,” he says softly, willing his cheeks to not turn red. He grimaces at her expression;, she looks so dismayed, adorable but dismayed. “I am just good at evading reporters.” He shrugs helplessly, giving her what he hopes is an apologetic yet winning smile. “I’ve had to be.” It does not seem to be working. “I’ve had a lot of experience over the years.” Paolo tries not to shrink back as her expressions changes from dismay to fury.

“Well.” She leans toward him with an angry light in her eye. “I’m sure you’ve had a lot experience with that — fifteen years, I believe.” She hisses through her teeth, “Juan Carlos ‘the Assassin’ Gutierrez.”

Paolo gazes at her in awe, mesmerized by the fire in her eyes. She is really something. Gorgeous. He draws back as she squints at him. And a little terrifying. I like it. “Actually.” He chuckles weakly. “It is Juan Carlos Paolo Gutierrez. The Spanish press like to drop the Paolo and replace it with Assassin. It drives my mother crazy.” He chuckles again. “And you pronounced it excellently.”

“Well, thanks,” she snaps, folding her arms. “I got tips from an expert.” Her knee bounces in agitation. “Right now, I don’t know if I’m more aggravated with you…” Her angry gaze flies around the room, landing on the leader of the Conga. “Or with that wooly mammoth over there who has been masquerading as my best friend.” Jenny’s eyes narrow to slits.

Across the room, Rocky stumbles, nearly falling into one of the men he’d told Paolo were called the Wonder Twins.

“Prepare for extinction.” Jenny starts to rise.

“Wait.” Paolo places a hand on her knee, not wanting her to leave. “I am sorry for misleading you. It was my fault.” He confesses, “He had no choice. Please don’t be upset with Rocky.”

“He had no choice? Rocky?” She seems dubious but she slumps back onto the sofa, her eyes flitting between the hand on her knee and his eyes. Paolo smiles at her gently and her eyes narrow again but she makes no attempt to remove his hand. “What was it — the Guy Code?”

“No.” He scoffs. “Nothing as silly as that.” Paolo sighs, squeezing her knee almost absentmindedly as he gathers his thoughts, trying to find the best way to explain his friendship with Rocky. He squeezes again and Jenny lets out a little giggle. Paolo pretends not to hear her as he turns his eyes to her and holds her gaze, wanting her to see his sincerity and honest regret. “It was a handshake and a spit oath.”

About the Author

Bellamy Black has enjoyed the written word long before she could actually read it. This initially one-sided relationship has blossomed into a lifelong love affair filled with adventurous governesses, brave women, and determined warriors. An East Coast girl, living an East Coast life, when she is not writing or working her corporate day job, Bellamy enjoys spending time with friends, a nice glass of Shiraz, and the occasional bit of mayhem. She will also never turn down an opportunity to catch a rerun of the Golden Girls.

My first thought about this book was that I wasn't going to like it one bit, as I'm not really a soccer kind of girl and rarely like books about sports. And maybe I didn't love this book, but it was certainly better then I thought it would be.

It took a little ways into the book for me to finally start getting into it, but when Paolo jumped into the story, I was all in. The instant romance between him and Jenny was adorable and laughable. I couldn't help but smile as I read through their first meeting, first date and first everything else. They are really such a great literary couple.

Though I adored these characters, Rockman included, I found the writing lacking a little. There were times that I felt there could have been more added to a scene and other times less dialog and more action. And I also wasn't crazy about the scenes with Dora. I didn't think it added anything to the story and could have done without it.

But the story itself I liked and the romance was really good, as well the the comedy aspect. Sometimes I laughed so hard that my dad would give me a strange look. And with the more adorable and sweet scenes between Jenny and Paolo I couldn't help but smile and make 'aw' sounds.

Overall, it was a pleasant book, though maybe not the most well written book that I've ever read, though far better then some I have. If you love to laugh and love romance, then this is surely the book for you.

Well hello there to all of you deprived readers! I know, it's been a while since we've posted anything right? Well, give us some time. I'm sure we'll get used to this eventually. Remember, the blogging world is new to us. We're still working out the kinks in our project. But let me assure you that it should be going smoothly next month. I mean, I'll be buying a schedule and everything! Wish me the best of luck, eh?

Oh look here:

Check below to enter the giveaway for a chance at a free copy!

I suppose I should mention that today we have a novel stoppin' around to be welcomed to our blog. So here it is! Afflicted by Sophie Monroe.

Fresh off tour Blake Potter, the sexy bassist for Battlescars, is in Smithville, Ohio to work on their next album ‘Coming Clean’. Still pining after Aubrey’s best friend, Piper, it’s going to be harder than he expected to see her back with her long-term boyfriend, Cole. He’s trying his hardest to forget her, but no matter how hard he tries to stay away circumstances keep bringing them together. Being burned before, he refuses to let it happen again. He’s still struggling to let go of Rowan, the girl that made him the way he is.

Piper is fighting an uphill battle of her own. She’s working her ass off trying to make a name for herself as a tattoo artist. Her long-term boyfriend, Cole, was recently discharged from the Marines turning her world in a way that she never expected. When he begins leaving for days at a time Piper starts struggling to help him pick up the pieces. She calls the one person that might be able to help, Blake. He becomes the friend that she needs no matter how much it’s killing him.

What will happen when one phone call changes everything for both of them leading them in a path that neither anticipated? Pasts will come out of the shadows and threaten to ruin everything.

Here's a little bit about the author:

Sophie Monroe is an author from New Jersey. She’s obsessed with music and loves a good story. She released the Amazon Best Seller Battlescars in March. Afflicted is a spin-off of Battlescars with different characters but has appearances of the reader’s favorites Jake, Aubrey and Granny Jean, along with the rest of the gang.

Well, it seems more of a description of what the novel is supposed to be rather than an author's introduction, but hey? Who are we to judge?

Oh yes! Before I forget, I think you're all plenty interested now, right? Well, just to be sure here's an excerpt of Monroe's novel, Afflicted.

Hurt flashed across his face breaking my heart even further. I knew I needed to face this on my own. I was starting to second-guess if Blake and I could really be something, would I ever be able to love him like I loved Cole? Were we holding onto strings better left to fray? He said he loved me and I was pretty sure that I loved him, but in my jumbled thoughts I couldn’t think of anything except going home to Cole.

“I’ll call a cab.” I put on a brave face and pushed everything aside.

“I’ll take you. Let’s go.”

He said holding my bag in one hand and reaching for my hand with the other. I retracted knowing that touching him would falter my reserve. I followed him down the hallway and said a quick goodbye to his parents with Blake promising to explain when he got back. He told Joss to be there when he got back. Speeding the entire ride to the airport and parking in the drop off zone he walked inside without waiting for me to catch up with him. He went straight the ticket counter using his charms on the girl working. Pulling a credit card from his wallet he handed it to her while she waited for the ticket to print. I stood off to the side letting him do his thing. When he was finished he handed me the ticket with a look in his eyes that will probably haunt me for as long as I live.

Have we got you hook, line and sinker yet?

Well now there are a couple of options before you. You can either buy from:

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Paige Warren is sure she's come to terms with her impending divorce, until she wakes up in bed with her soon-to-be ex, Danny. Worse yet, the bed belongs to Stacey, the sexual surrogate Paige and Danny have been sleeping with for months -- and Stacey's not there.

As much as Paige tries to deny it, she soon realizes she's still in love with Danny. Now she's torn between him and the woman who holds them together. Should she risk hurting Stacey to rekindle a monogamous relationship with the man she once thought she'd spend the rest of her life with, or should she learn from past experience?

Danny is a sensual, erotic novella following one woman's struggle between a love she thought was over and a relationship that's barely begun.

Review

Let me just take a little breather. I mean, after reading this steamy new erotic novel Danny, I must say that it really did take my breath away. Paige and her husband Danny, soon-to-be-divorced, haven't been on the best of terms. Our lovely MC was expecting something a little different in regards to their relationship. Something along the lines of less work and more play, if you know what I mean. Paige, as a character, is quite interesting in the way she perceives the way a relationship should work. Although, I'm going to consider her a little bit of a shy nymphomaniac. (I mean this in the nicest possible way).

Throughout most of the novel, she is eyeing up her husband, Danny, while feasting on darling Stacey that she describes as "looking like pure lust" and with the description in the novel, I can see how that might be true. Ah, in regards to Stacey, she is supposed to be the couple's "cure" for their relationship when throughout the novel it appears she is more like a double-edged sword because it just so happens that Paige has "fallen" for this little vixen. Now, don't get me wrong, as you go through the novel you can see that Stacey is kinda-sorta helping the couple along in their relationship but during those encounters she has with them it appears she's more of a poison than a cure.

I should get back to the original topic, about the characters; Danny, our hot smokin' husband, is well done in the way he tries to appeal Paige. I absolutely loved his development through and through because the reader, or myself, truly gets a sense of his uncertainty in the beginning that fades as he realizes what he really wants and how he has to go about getting it. The only downside that I really see in this novel would have to be that third chapter. Danny tells his sex-driven wife that he's given up his job and other things just to please her. That doesn't really strike me as something a confident man would do. I mean, why on earth? I suggest that Paige get herself a job and keep up with being able to pay off the bills for the house. I'd say, consdering that Danny was a doctor at a hospital, that he was getting some damn good money. Either Paige is stinkin' rich or she is definitely in need of some carnal satisfaction (nymphomaniac).

Most of the novel happens in the bedroom (well it is an erotica) and overall there isn't much detail to the scenery that goes around in the novel. We find out whose bed their on, whose house their in and the time of day it is but otherwise it's not very fleshed out. If you know what I mean. However, I believed this ties in pretty well with the plot. Or maybe just with the character that the novel is centered around - our lovely little nympho Paige. Paige describes the scene in that way of hers which basically consists of telling the reader whose room they are currently canoodling in but she doesn't go very far (which is kind of a relief) I mean, the setting in this kind of novel is important but with the way Rhea described it, it seems to fit in perfectly. I don't see any reason why it shouldn't.

Now, let's go on to the plot. We have Stacey, our supposed cure, and Danny the hunk of a husband, and Paige who currently loves Stacey, sex and (even though she filed for a divorce) monsieur Danny. In the beginning, Paige wakes up to see mister gorgeous laying in bed next to her with Stacey nowhere in sight. This causes quite the panic in her but as the novel progresses, Paige realises that she still loves her hunk of a husband. This now causes her to feel extremely guilty - even though the three of them end up having sex - and she feels like she should tell Stacey but being the good little nympho she is, she decides to keep it from Stacey who inevitably finds out.

The plot is original in the sense that it's not everyday that the couple share the "cure" in such a way, and even the fact that the developments between both Paige and Danny were slightly unexpected I believe that it warrants a good enough rating. However, I'd say that you'll have to read it to debate my opinion.

(Purchase links to Rhea's work are at the bottom of the post.)

So, for Danny by Margo Anne Rhea, I'll give it a healthy three and a half stars.

I hope to read more of her work soon!

Interview

We were given the chance to ask Margo Anne Rhea a few questions in regards to her life as an author. Here's what she said :

1. Where did you find the inspiration for Danny?

The inspiration for DANNY came in the form of a dream. In this dream, my significant other and I were separated, but we were both sleeping with the same woman. He was trying to seduce me to come back to him. When I woke up, I started writing. And DANNY was born.

2. Did you do any kind of research?

I looked at a LOT of pictures of hot guys on the internet. That's really all the research Danny required.

3. Have you experienced a similar situation such as this?

I haven't experienced it in real life, no. And to be honest, I'm a little glad I haven't. I imagine divorce is pretty painful for couples, even if they never officially go through with it.

4. What got you interested in writing?

I can't say that there was any one thing that got me interested. I've always written. I never really thought about it and it wasn't until was in college that I began to consider it anything more than just a hobby.

5. Tea or coffee?

It depends on the mood. If I'm writing and want to focus my thoughts, coffee. If I'm relaxing on a cool (because Florida never truly gets "cold") Winter's night, hot tea is lovely.

6. How long have you been writing?

Ever since I can remember. Somewhere in a box at my childhood home, there is an adorably poorly-written short story about a rash of crimes against small businesses. The mystery is of course solved by a Nancy-Drew-like heroine of the distinguished age of 8. That's the first thing I remember writing, but I'm told there were many more before it.

7. How many novels have you published? Can you give us a bit of a teaser to one of them (or an upcoming novel)?

Danny is my debut novella. I would be happy to share a little teaser!

At exactly 5:02 p.m., I shut my computer down, grabbed my purse, and made for the elevator. The ten-minute drive through rush hour traffic felt like it took an hour. But for all my impatience, when I finally parked just steps from Stacey’s front door, it took me several minutes to propel myself from my SUV and into the condo.
They were both waiting by the fire in the living room when I got there. Stacey, in a tantalizing black negligee that showed everything except what her matching thong covered, looked like pure lust. She had her auburn hair pulled up in a bun, flyaway strands framing her baby-doll face. Big baby blues peered up at me, perfecting the look of innocence.
Danny, on the other hand, seemed more than uncomfortable in nothing but a pair of red boxer-briefs that molded to his body. I couldn’t blame him. We’d certainly seen each other in less clothing than that, but even I felt exposed in jeans and a sweater right then.
“Good, you’re finally here.” Stacey purred the words and patted the space next to her on the down comforter they’d placed in front of the fireplace. I pulled my boots and socks off and joined them on the blanket. Danny had a glass of wine waiting for me and pressed it into my hands as soon as I was settled.
Stacey’s hand slipped under the hem of my sweater to fiddle with the button of my slacks. I knew what was going to happen next. We’d done this so many times, I could have done it in my sleep. And almost did the other morning, I reminded myself. I avoided looking at Danny.
Stacey’s fingernails grazed my thighs as she tugged my pants down and off my legs. My sweater was the next to go. She threw that behind her. I watched as it landed unceremoniously on the floor, a puddle of black mohair.

8. Was this the original plan for the novel? Or was it supposed to turn out some other way?

I didn't actually have a plan for how Danny would end when I started writing it. I just followed the flow. Looking back at it now though, I couldn't imagine a different ending for Paige and Danny's story.

9. Is there an alternate ending to Danny?

There isn't an alternate ending, but I have given some thought to writing a prequel about how Paige and Danny met.

10. Where did you come up with the idea of Stacey?

Stacey is actually based on a real-life friend of mine. In the dream that inspired Danny, Stacey was just an idea, an intangible character who wasn't actually there. When I was writing Stacey, I needed her to be a deeper character, so I based her on a good friend.

11. Why did you decide to write erotica?

It wasn't actually a decision. It just sort of happened. What can I say, I write what the characters in my head tell me to. :)